north_shore_lib (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} north_shore_lib) wrote,@ 2008-04-28 17:04:00 |
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Death in a Prairie House
There was scandal. There was fame. There was mystery. And it happened right here in Wisconsin. Death in a Prairie House; Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders by William R. Drennan (364.1523 D772 New) tackles the mystery of what happened in August of 1914 at Taliesin that resulted in the murder of seven and the firey destruction of Wright's home. With extensive research, the author describes Wright's personal life both leading up to the murders as well as following this horrific event that changed his life. Wright had left the wife and family who at one time had been so important to him for a new life with Mamah Borthwick, a feminist before there was such a thing. Taliesin was not only a workplace for Wright designers, but was sometimes called Wright's "Love Bungalow" by the community of Spring Green that did not condone Wright's new lifestyle. It is surprising that with a life so famous and so scrutinized, the mystery of what exactly happened and why it happened still remains. Different theories are proposed, but none seem to wrap everything up in a neat and final manner. One of the most interesting aspects of the book, however, is how the events of his personal life affected the architecture of this great visionary. His buildings changed as his personal attitudes changed. What once was open and light became massive and fortress-like. What had once been open to the natural world was then replaced with closed isolation. I found myself wanting to look at his building more carefully to get a sense of the man who built them. If you want to read more about Wright's life and architecture, the library also has the following books:
Frank Lloyd Wright Field Guide by Thomas A. Heinz (720.977 H472)
Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie Houses by Alan Hess (720.973 H586)
Understanding Frank Lloyd Wright's Architecture by Donald Hoffmann (720.92 W949H)
Frank LLoyd Wright by Ada Louise Huxtable (920 W949H)
Frank Lloyd Wright by Meryle Secrest (920 W949S)
Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and Taliesin West by Kathryn Smith (720.92 W949S)
Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie School in Wisconsin by Kristin Visser (720.9775 V834)
There was scandal. There was fame. There was mystery. And it happened right here in Wisconsin. Death in a Prairie House; Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders by William R. Drennan (364.1523 D772 New) tackles the mystery of what happened in August of 1914 at Taliesin that resulted in the murder of seven and the firey destruction of Wright's home. With extensive research, the author describes Wright's personal life both leading up to the murders as well as following this horrific event that changed his life. Wright had left the wife and family who at one time had been so important to him for a new life with Mamah Borthwick, a feminist before there was such a thing. Taliesin was not only a workplace for Wright designers, but was sometimes called Wright's "Love Bungalow" by the community of Spring Green that did not condone Wright's new lifestyle. It is surprising that with a life so famous and so scrutinized, the mystery of what exactly happened and why it happened still remains. Different theories are proposed, but none seem to wrap everything up in a neat and final manner. One of the most interesting aspects of the book, however, is how the events of his personal life affected the architecture of this great visionary. His buildings changed as his personal attitudes changed. What once was open and light became massive and fortress-like. What had once been open to the natural world was then replaced with closed isolation. I found myself wanting to look at his building more carefully to get a sense of the man who built them. If you want to read more about Wright's life and architecture, the library also has the following books:
Frank Lloyd Wright Field Guide by Thomas A. Heinz (720.977 H472)
Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie Houses by Alan Hess (720.973 H586)
Understanding Frank Lloyd Wright's Architecture by Donald Hoffmann (720.92 W949H)
Frank LLoyd Wright by Ada Louise Huxtable (920 W949H)
Frank Lloyd Wright by Meryle Secrest (920 W949S)
Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and Taliesin West by Kathryn Smith (720.92 W949S)
Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie School in Wisconsin by Kristin Visser (720.9775 V834)
